Medical Anxiety through the roof

[Menno1525]

Have always had some degree of medical anxiety but nothing too debilitating. Last few years though as a result of some bad experiences (panic attack when sent for MRI, horrendous treatment in hospital when admitted following a bout of mild pancreatitis after having my gall bladder removed, difficult dental treatment,trauma of my husband’s cancer condition and even more horrendous hospital treatment during his last weeks, picking up Covid straight after the funeral in September, galloping heart rate and resumption of gastric problems following Covid etc etc ) have sent my anxiety levels around health rocketing. Have had to postpone some dental treatment because couldn’t cope and had thought I was improving but am now scheduled for a heart ultrasound, and following a positive FIT test for a gastroscopy and am struggling to hold it together. Any suggestions on how to manage and benefits/disbenefits of medication as my usual coping strategies aren’t cutting it and I can’t be pacing the streets for hours at night in a cold wet November.

[ZOO7]

Maybe try to talk through what the test will be like with your care provider or someone who has had the experience and had positive results. Remember each time is a new time and it’s not what you had in the past. With dental, talk to the dentist about what happened and why you are feeling that way. They typically can help with calming you down. Prepare is key. Deep breathing exercises help me. I think everyone I know including myself has had CoVid. We all survived! Vaccines are great. Feeling down for a couple days to a few weeks. Take rest, drink hot tea, take your vitamins. Listen to positive books on audible. 🙏🙏❤️❤️🙏🙏

[roses4all]

Hi Menno, you certainly have not been lucky with all of this. I have anxiety and medical anxiety. There are two things that help for me. First, I used to belong to an anxiety group. The leader of the group was always tapping her foot and saying , ''here; now''. The monotone of the tapping helped... it drew my attention to the tapping. And ''here ; now'' I'm OK. The second thing that helps is the scheduling of tests. My anxiety is always worse in the morning, so there are no tests in the morning. When I schedule in the a.m., I am usually unable to go anyways. So, if I wake up with anxiety, I can take a nap or do something else... relax before the afternoon. Next, I always work a lot on the weekends, so no tests on Monday, ever.

re: the dentist... I was raped when I was younger, the dentist was an intrusion.. my mind actually went back to the rapes because there were fingers in my mouth that I couldn't control. For years, I had dental work under general anesthesia. So, worst case scenario, that is an option. I have been able to get dental work done in the chair for about 3 years now. I find it helps to think of someone I love. I also always take a big sweater (not to wear)... I hold it in my lap and hold it really tightly... but it helps to keep myself from moving and I can endure longer. And I have to move my thoughts out of the dental office and onto the person I love.

I get where you are coming from. This afternoon at 3 pm I have my first osteoporosis test. I had been trying to get one since before COVID. One of my problems is that I can't answer the phone unless I know who it is. My family clinic has an unlisted number. The government tests schedule you with an unlisted number. A nurse suggested that I try a private clinic. I programmed their number into my phone, saw who was calling and was able to answer (still with some anxiety). I asked for an appointment Tuesday or Wednesday afteroon and I said I would wait til one was available. Sometimes you have to go with your limitations.

[punkster]

Oh my God! You have been through ALOT and it is not surprising that your health anxiety has reared it's ugly head after your trauma. I, too, developed health anxiety after my husband underwent triple bypass surgery nine months into the pandemic. I was traumatized. I was already seeing a therapist for anxiety when the pandemic hit, and it has taken me years to work through the health anxiety. Taking an antidepressant helped me a lot. We are about the same age, and I noticed my anxiety increased a lot after menopause. I am on hormone therapy. Another thing that helped me was learning how to practice meditation. It takes time and discipline to learn it, but the benefits are well worth the time spent. I am getting ready to start piano lessons. I played as a child as well as when my children were growing up, but I haven't touched the piano in over 15 years. Playing the piano forces me to concentrate on something and helps curb my racing thoughts.

LOL, I am writing this as my husband is upstairs locked in the guest room. He became sick three days after Thanksgiving, but has tested negative for Covid. At least three people at our Thanksgiving meal tested positive for Covid three days later. He is scheduled for a PCR test today. Anyway, I am trying my best to manage my anxiety right now

I hope you're able to find something or a combination of things that work to reduce your anxiety.

[AnonymousUsername13]

amazon.com/gp/aw/d/15723099...?

This is a book that several people recommend to me since i have really bad health anxiety. It's by Gordon J. G. Asmundson - It's Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Health Could Be Making You Sick--and What You Can Do about It. U can listen to the audiobook with a free trial of audible, or get the paperback for $5.95 shipped if u buy it used on Amazon.